Zoom is a new(ish) videocalling service that’s been in the headlines a bit recently, so I thought I’d tell you a bit about what it is, in case you’re thinking of using it.
Video calling is very popular right now
Since we’ve all been in lockdown, lots of people have started using video calling to keep in touch with friends and family. There are quite a few different video calling options now – you’ve probably heard of Skype, which has been around for a while. But you can make video calls through various other apps now too (FaceTime on iPhones and iPads, WhatsApp that you can put on any smartphone, Facebook Messenger, and a whole host more).
These can handle more than one person at a time – so you can have a group of people all getting together and chatting at the same time (and in our family that’s literally true – whenever we attempt a video call, everyone talks at once, the kids just shout “Hello” non-stop and wave toys at their cousins, and it descends into chaos in no time at all!). It’s the next best thing to all getting together and chatting in person. But to do that, you all need to know each other’s contact details – so these are mostly suitable for friends and family.
How is Zoom any different from the other video calling apps?
The main thing is that you can have Zoom calls with anyone. You don’t need their mobile number or Skype username – as long as you both have the Meeting ID. That means you can “meet” with the WI group, your stamp club, art group, local Church, a child’s schoolteacher and the rest of the class, and so on.
What do you need?
Any device that can connect to the internet. If you have a Windows computer you start from the website, and it’ll automatically install the Zoom Windows app when you first join a meeting – after that you can use that app to join calls. If you’re using a smartphone or tablet you can install the Zoom app from the Play Store for Android devices or the App Store for iPhones and iPads.
You don’t need many details to get set up – it only needs your name on the Windows app, or your name and email address on the tablet/smartphone app.
To join a meeting, you just need to type in the “Meeting ID” and the password if there is one, and you can get started. It’s up to the person who set up the meeting to tell you the codes – and they’re the person to get in touch with if you’ve lost them.
If you’re using a computer, make sure you have speakers, a microphone and a webcam – if you’ve got a laptop they’ll probably be built in, but might not be on a desktop. If you’re using a tablet or smartphone, that should have everything you need built in.
Joining a meeting – a walkthrough…
I’ll show you this using the website, but if you use the app it works the same way. By the way, this is going to be a Zoom meeting between me on my phone and me on my computer – normally there’d be more than one person involved!
- In your web browser, go to this web address: zoom.us (or open the app if you already have it)
- Click or tap on “Join a meeting”.
- Type in the Meeting ID then click or tap “Join”. If you don’t already have the app installed it’ll take you through installing it now.
- If it asks for a password, type that in next.
- Wait a few seconds while the person who’s hosting the meeting admits you, and it should connect you. You might need to agree to terms and conditions and choose whether to join with video or not.
- Once you’re in, the screen will look a bit like this:
The small picture at the top is you, and the big picture is the person you’re talking to (only usually it’ll be two different people rather than two Claires!). If there are more than 2 people, there’ll be more pictures along the top, and it’ll switch the big picture to whoever’s talking at the time. - At any point in the call you can mute your voice or turn the video off, using the tools at the bottom (in the Windows app they’re there all the time, but on the mobile app you’ll have to tap the screen to get the options to come up):
- When you want to leave the call, tap on Leave. It’ll ask you to confirm you want to go. Again, if you’re using a tablet or phone, the buttons will probably disappear while you’re talking, and you can get them back again by tapping the screen.
The Small Print – bits and bobs you should know.
- It’s free for 40 minutes – if you want longer meetings you need to get a paid subscription.
- There have been some security issues with Zoom, which has given it a bit of a bad press. The main problem is that if you have a meeting with no password, the meeting IDs are pretty easy to guess, so anyone could in theory join in with your call. It’s pretty rare, though. BUT – it’s much harder for someone to “guess” their way in if there’s a password as well as a meeting ID. So if you’re worried about security, only join in with private meetings. Zoom are working hard on making it all more secure, and meetings with passwords are now the norm – don’t be surprised if some of the security settings change over the next few months as they make it all a bit more watertight.
- Sometimes there are glitches – like for some reason, the password you’ve been given doesn’t work:
This has happened to me with a school call from my son’s teacher. Some people could get in, but some, including us, couldn’t. We never worked out why, but the next time she did it, it worked perfectly.
If you’re struggling…
– Double check you’ve typed in the details right – obvious but worth trying first!
– Get back to the person who set up the meeting to check if they’ve given you the right details.
– If you have another device you can try on, it’s worth doing that. For example, some people have found that if they get this problem on the computer, they try again on their iPad and it works fine.
– Failing that, explain to the person hosting the meeting. They might be able to stop it and set up a new one, which might work.
Finally, good luck! Zoom isn’t perfect, and personally I’ve found it a bit fiddly sometimes – but we’ve also had a lot of fun with it while we’ve been in lockdown. My children have had a Zoom disco with school, my son’s done a quiz with his class, my daughter’s had a chat with some of her friends and we’ve had face to face chats with some of the schoolteachers. And tomorrow night I’m going to be joining in a “virtual pub quiz” with my friends…
December 7, 2020 at 12:00 pm
Hi Kathryn,
Thanks for your reply. Found the link you said but it marked ‘off’ and I couldn’t change it so turned on ‘original sound’ who h has improved it slightly. Thank you for your help. Pearl
December 7, 2020 at 1:10 pm
Hi Pearl,
No problem, glad I could help!
Take care,
Kathryn
November 30, 2020 at 11:58 am
I Zoom with folk friends and it works great but very often I find the spoken word difficult to hear. I have a Samsung Android tablet and friends tell me to go into Zoom settings but cannot seem to find this on my tablet and because of lockdown I don’t meet with anyone. Please can you help.
November 30, 2020 at 1:50 pm
Hi Pearl,
I’m assuming you’ve used the volume buttons on the tablet to turn the volume up as high as possible, do you have any headphones that you could plug into the tablet? That can help if you’re struggling to hear the sound. To find the settings, open the Zoom app and tap on the cog icon at the bottom of the screen. It depends what setting your friends were telling you to change – if you tap on the cog icon, then on “Meeting”, there should be a setting called “Auto-Connect to Audio”. Make sure that’s switched on and see if that makes a difference.
Take care,
Kathryn
November 28, 2020 at 12:14 pm
Your zoom explanatrion has been a godsend and I have joined 3 meetings successfully. I have a laptop but no phone. Could you tell us how to set up a zoom meeting with say two other friends – that would be really helpful.
Re the pass word, a beautiful dog fox was walking along the top of my 3 metre high hedge the other morning, with a bright white tip to its tail.
November 30, 2020 at 12:49 pm
Hi Iris,
I’m so glad it’s been useful! So there are two ways to do it – you can start a meeting and then invite people then and there if you know that they’re free for a call, or you can schedule a meeting in advance. To hold a meeting right then and there, open Zoom and click on “Join Meeting”. Then click on “Invite” at the bottom of the screen to invite your friends to join the meeting. Or if you want to schedule something in advance, it’s a little more complicated, but there’s a guide on how to do that here:
https://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-to-host-a-zoom-meeting/
Just scroll down to where it says “How to schedule a meeting in Zoom”.
What a daredevil fox!
Take care,
Kathryn
July 5, 2020 at 6:45 pm
Hello!
Can you tell me how to edit the name that appears at the bottom of my picture when I use Zoom. Because of our email address the name comes up as David Snuggs, whereas I would prefer it to be David and Diana. I’m sure there must be some way of doing this.
Thanks,
Diana Snuggs
July 6, 2020 at 2:24 pm
Hi Diana,
You can indeed edit the name, there’s a guide here on how to do it:
https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201363203-Customizing-your-Profile
Let us know if you get stuck at all.
Take care,
Kathryn
July 9, 2020 at 6:39 pm
Hello again, Kathryn.
I got back to you yesterday to say that I had managed to change my profile name, but the name on my screen had not changed by the time I used Zoom yesterday evening.
However, this morning when I was on Zoom again, the name had been changed successfully, so please ignore my previous message.
Thanks very much for your help,
Diana
July 10, 2020 at 12:08 pm
Hi Diana,
Sounds like Zoom needed some time to think about it, but I’m glad it’s sorted now! Let us know if you need any more help with anything 🙂
Take care,
Kathryn
June 24, 2020 at 12:07 pm
Everyone told me that it was v simple to use Zoom. As usual not for me! I tried first on my PC. It wanted a password and in the end me and my bubble friend who was helping (she uses Zoom herself ) just couldn’t get it right. It kept asking for an app or something. Later I tried on my tablet which has Zoom already on it.
There is a meeting I would quite like to join and they have sent me an email with the Meeting Code. Is it possible for me to tap on the link /meeting code within the email to join in with them? This would be using my tablet.
I know Zoom think that I have joined ‘cos they have sent me 2 emails confirming same.
At the moment, what with having to fiddle with the camera to get that set up I’m not sure that I can bother.
It can’t be TOO hard as lots of OAPs (like me ) have been using it during lockdown .
June 25, 2020 at 10:09 am
Hello,
Thanks for the question, yes you should be able to join the meeting by tapping on the link in the email. It sounds like Zoom is set up on your devices. You can create an account which does require a password, but you can also use Zoom without an account or password.
I’m not too sure how best to help here, try this…. Open Zoom on your tablet, what happens? Does it give you the option to “Start a Meeting” or “Join a meeting” ? If so then it sounds like it’s ready to go! want to test it? give me a shout and we can setup a practice Zoom meeting…
Let me know what you get when you open Zoom and we’ll go from there.
Thanks
Mike
June 19, 2020 at 11:26 am
I have recently used Zoom for a family chat in Australia, Teams for an online Spanish course, and House Party for another family meeting.
In all cases, at some point the lap-top that I was using shut down completely (switched off). I then had to log back in, losing quite a lot of the conversation, especially on the Spanish course. My first thoughts were loss of Internet connection but if so, I would have not expected the lap top to shut down completely.
Any thoughts?
June 19, 2020 at 3:34 pm
Hi George,
Thanks for getting in touch.
This is most likely the battery-saving settings kicking in. Was the laptop plugged into the charger at the time? If not, then it’ll definitely be the battery-saving settings.
You could either make sure that the laptop is plugged in when you’re using Zoom, Teams or House Party, or you could change the battery-saving settings.
Is your PC running Windows 7 or Windows 10 please?
Thanks
Jess
June 19, 2020 at 4:01 pm
The lap top was plugged in to the mains. I am on Windows 7
June 19, 2020 at 4:30 pm
Hi George,
Thanks for getting back to me.
Ah I see, I think we should perhaps check what your sleep settings are set as.
If you open the Settings app, click on System, then click on Power and Sleep and what does it say under the Sleep setting please?
Thanks
Jess
June 19, 2020 at 5:19 pm
Sleep settings are: battery: 30mins plugged in 60 mins
June 22, 2020 at 10:37 am
Message for Jess. I sent you the sleep settings but over the weekend I used the computer to a point where it needed battery charging. When it finished, I got a message: ‘There is a problem with your battery and you need to consider replacing it; your computer may suddenly shut down’.
The battery must be at least 3-4 years old so I have ordered a replacement.
I guess that this must be the reason for the sudden shut-downs, so I hope that this will resolve the problem.
George Neville
June 16, 2020 at 1:10 pm
A very clear run-through on joining a meeting, but if I want to be the initiator how do I set up a meeting?
June 16, 2020 at 7:20 pm
Hi Douglas,
Thanks for getting in touch.
If you want to host a meeting, tap on “host a meeting” at the top of the screen. Then it’ll give you the option to invite people to your meeting. You can then add people using their email addresses or you can send them a link via Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp.
I hope this helps,
Thanks
Jess
June 8, 2020 at 12:02 pm
I am very nervous about doing things on my iPad but during lockdown have been joining zoom meetings which have been set up by family. I get an invitation in the form of an email with a link in order to join the meeting. This seems to have worked well but having read your article should I download the app onto my iPad or would this simply enable me to set up zoom meetings myself. I really am a novice at all this which is why I have joined the inner circle, thank you!
June 9, 2020 at 11:46 am
Hi Karen,
You can download the app onto your iPad if you like (that’s how I’ve been doing it!) and it should work fine for you to join meetings. Once I downloaded the app, I didn’t need to follow the link in the email, I just tapped on the “Join Meeting” button and it filled in the login details for me. If you have any trouble with it let us know and we should be able to help you.
Take care,
Kathryn
June 7, 2020 at 4:37 pm
Just read about Zoom where can I find now to host a meeting
And get password, I D etc
June 8, 2020 at 4:47 pm
Hi Sheila,
There’s a helpful guide on how to host a Zoom meeting here:
https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362613-How-Do-I-Host-A-Video-Meeting-
Let us know if you have any further questions.
Take care,
Kathryn
June 3, 2020 at 9:47 am
Re Zoom. I joined a meeting last night with about 25 others. I switched to ‘gallery’ but could only view 9 people. The gallery wouldn’t scroll or slide to another page. I have an iPad Air 2. Any ideas?
June 4, 2020 at 8:55 am
Hello Anita
I’m Julie and I’m helping on the clubroom at the moment.
I’ve never used Zoom on an iPad myself, but I’ve been doing some reading up. It should be that you can swipe from right to left on the gallery screen to see the next page of 9 people. It might have just been a blip during your meeting (they do happen, unfortunately), but my advice would be to completely shut down the Zoom app, then make sure it doesn’t need any updates in the App Store.
Hopefully, that will sort out whatever bug was causing the problem.
All the best
Julie
May 31, 2020 at 11:45 pm
Many thanks. I had been looking for this feature on the active Zoom screen, but you are correct that one has to go into the account settings to switch it on in the first place. It is now there on the active screen.
May 29, 2020 at 12:45 pm
Thanks for this. I am a Zoom account holder and have hosted several meetings now, but I have not yet worked out how to split larger groups into smaller meeting rooms. I have opened up all the “tool” buttons but not found the right one yet.
May 31, 2020 at 11:45 am
Hello Roland
I think what you’re looking for is a feature called “Breakout Rooms”.
I’ve found a video on YouTube here showing you how to use them https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbPpdyn16sY.
If you try it out and it’s not working, you might need to change a setting first. According to Zoom, this is where you find it:
To enable the breakout room feature:
1. Sign in to Zoom on the website (not the mobile app).
2. In the navigation menu, click “Account Management” then “Account Settings”.
3. On the “Meeting” tab, find the “Breakout Room” option.
4. If the setting is disabled, click the toggle to enable it. If a verification box pops up, choose “Turn On” to verify the change.
(Optional) Click the checkbox to allow meeting hosts to pre-assign participants to breakout rooms.
Hope that helps
Julie
May 23, 2020 at 7:29 am
Again many thanks. My first enquiry to the Inner Circle – very impressed with the speed an accuracy of the replies
May 22, 2020 at 2:07 pm
On the other hand, perhaps I can’t! Please tell me what to ask the host to do….
May 22, 2020 at 3:05 pm
Hi Richard,
You need to ask them to “Manage Participants” and then give you permission to record, there’s a guide on how to do it here that you can send them if they need help:
https://www.howtogeek.com/662780/how-to-record-a-zoom-meeting/
Take care,
Kathryn
May 22, 2020 at 1:37 pm
I have a BT email account and a yahoo one but am wondering how I go about cancelling the BT one as I never use it.
May 22, 2020 at 3:11 pm
Hi Wendy,
BT have a guide to deleting an email account here:
https://www.bt.com/help/email/manage-email-account/how-do-i-close-or-delete-an-email-account-
If you click on “How do I delete an email address?” it’ll give you step by step instructions.
Take care,
Kathryn
May 24, 2020 at 6:34 pm
I had a look at the website but it didn’t help and I kept going round in circles.
May 26, 2020 at 2:05 pm
Hi Wendy
I’m Julie, and I’m helping on the Inner Circle today.
I think your best bet if your struggling with the instructions on their website (these things are usually written in a different language!) is to give their customer services people a call. They’re very busy at the moment, though, solving people’s issues during the coronavirus lockdown, so it might be best to wait a few weeks.
All the best
Julie
May 22, 2020 at 11:53 am
Can you record a session if you are not the originator of the meeting?
May 22, 2020 at 1:48 pm
Hi Richard,
If the host has given you permission to record the meeting, then you can record it by clicking on the “Record” button at the bottom right of the screen. When I say give permission though, I don’t just mean you asking and them saying yes, there’s a setting they have to change for participants. If you need help with allowing someone to record a meeting just let us know.
Take care,
Kathryn
May 19, 2020 at 11:08 am
I’ve used my iPad for my first 3 zoom meetings. The 3rd one was a problem. I saw the preview of the first slide but when the presentation went live I got two pictures of the speaker and no slides. I’ve referred the problem to the host for resolution which may be successful or not. Have you encountered this problem and if so what was the solution?
Thank you for your help. The Clubroom is not availabe due to maintenance.
May 19, 2020 at 2:46 pm
Hi Owen,
This sounds like it was a problem that the host was having with sharing their screen – were there other people in the meeting who were able to see the slides?
It might just have been a bit of a blip, or your host might need to check some of their settings.
Take care,
Kathryn
May 19, 2020 at 2:51 pm
Thank you Kathryn for your reply. There were many others but I was the only one with the glitch! I will pursue this matter with the host. Thank you.
May 15, 2020 at 4:48 pm
I’ve also taken part in weekly Tai Chi sessions – leader is based in Nottingham itself – and participants are based in that City, and nearby county towns/villages. We have a password, but so far, have managed to join in without needing to use it – as the Leader keeps us waiting in the “waiting room” and lets us into the meeting one at a time. Works pretty well now: there were some sound problems to begin with, especially listening to the background music!
May 15, 2020 at 11:49 am
This is a useful summary of Zoom. We have found Gallery View better than Speaker View, i.e. everyone at the meeting visible on small screens with the speaker’s picture lined. On PCs, the switch is at the top right of the screen along side the Full Screen icon. You can see it on the picture above. We have also found that it is best to have the camera at head height rather than the user looking down. This is expecially important for smart phone or tablet users. It’s worth trying things out with just you at your own “meeting”. It’s also worth trying different lighting and background arrangements. You can also test your video and audio from the Settings menu on the main App screen – the cog wheel top right on a PC or from the control bar when you are in a meeting. Some devices seem to have feeble mics. We have found it worth having an external mic plugged into a 3.5mm jack.
May 15, 2020 at 2:49 pm
We always aim to be useful! Those are some great tips, thank you for sharing them 🙂